dwarf citrus from seeds?

bower · September 1, 2012

I would love to grow citrus in containers at home, but when I finally got a Persian Lime and a Meyer Lemon last winter, they turned out to be the happy home of an endless spidermite infestation. I thought I had em cured, and perhaps I did, for a couple of months. The first lot of mites were fairly big bright red ones, the present ones are tiny and white or dark coloured, not so crimson afaict. But I can hardly see them anyway, even with glasses, until they are webbing all over. It's very frustrating.
I'm thinking of getting rid of these two little trees, because I can't deal with the high maintenance and risk to other plants, especially peppers, which I like to have in the house. I'm wondering if it is possible to grow container-suited varieties like these from seed, so I could start afresh with completely clean plants.
Or is it the case, that they are so susceptible to mites, I will end up with em anyway?

gardenpaws_VA · September 1, 2012

As far as I can tell, citrus large and small are inherently susceptible to spider mites. I get them on my Rangpur lime just about every winter. They can be controlled, however - I use a VERY dilute detergent spray as soon as I see them (which you can also use on the peppers, I think). The other thing which will reduce the mite problem is to keep the air around the plants more humid. Mites don't seem to multiply nearly as well when the humidity is high in the immediate vicinity, so it will probably help to set your plants on a pebble tray and keep the tray watered almost to the top of the pebbles.
By the way, unless the citrus you mention are grafted to a dwarf understock, they will not stay dwarf. However, it's possible, by careful and timely pruning, to keep indoor citrus a manageable size. I cut mine back before I move it back indoors for the winter, and then pinch it again when it starts pushing new growth and buds in early winter. I still get enough buds for fragrance and fruit, and that way, it's still (barely) possible to move my 20-yr-old tree in and out.

gardenpaws_VA · September 1, 2012

Almost forgot - re your original query, most citrus come true from seed because what germinates is not the result of pollination (except as a trigger to seed maturation). Unless the plant is a genetic dwarf, though, you'll get full-size offspring.

"I'm wondering if it is possible to grow container-suited varieties like these from seed, so I could start afresh with completely clean plants."

meadowyck · September 2, 2012

One of the best ways to help is to give your trees, (provided they aren't too large to pick up easy) is a shower once a month.

Citrus love humidity, so by giving them a shower during the winter helps to keep the mites at bay better.

If your trees are too large, then I would suggest a weekly fine mist spray up and down the trunk and limbs. Especially if your home is rather dry.

It is the dry air that sets the stage for the mites, by keeping the environment moist it keeps the mites at bay to where they can't overrun the tree.

Hope this helps.

bower · September 2, 2012

Jan,
Thanks for the advice it's much appreciated. That explains why the trees did so much better from being bagged - even though they got little or no attention, it was humid enough.

Growing citrus indoors is probably a losing game for me, if they need the humid environment. The indoor environment in my home in winter is very dry indeed. Only really drought tolerant plants do well as houseplants here, unfortunately.

I'll have to think about my dream home, with a "humidome" for a couple of full grown citrus trees

. Anything is possible, technically, but only if the resources are available to make it happen.

bower · September 2, 2012

Gardenpaws, thank you. I am very impressed that you were able to keep a tree and take care of their mite problems for 20 years. You have a gentler climate than we do, so at least in the summer your citrus gets to enjoy the outdoors.

I'm going to think about the pebble tray, and Jan's shower suggestion, and maybe give them one more try, but it's going to be difficult to keep them happy in our dry winter environment, especially if the mites can't be eradicated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gardenpaws_VA

As far as I can tell, citrus large and small are inherently susceptible to spider mites. I get them on my Rangpur lime just about every winter. They can be controlled, however - I use a VERY dilute detergent spray as soon as I see them (which you can also use on the peppers, I think). The other thing which will reduce the mite problem is to keep the air around the plants more humid. Mites don't seem to multiply nearly as well when the humidity is high in the immediate vicinity, so it will probably help to set your plants on a pebble tray and keep the tray watered almost to the top of the pebbles.
By the way, unless the citrus you mention are grafted to a dwarf understock, they will not stay dwarf. However, it's possible, by careful and timely pruning, to keep indoor citrus a manageable size. I cut mine back before I move it back indoors for the winter, and then pinch it again when it starts pushing new growth and buds in early winter. I still get enough buds for fragrance and fruit, and that way, it's still (barely) possible to move my 20-yr-old tree in and out.

September 1, 2012	#1
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,793	dwarf citrus from seeds? I would love to grow citrus in containers at home, but when I finally got a Persian Lime and a Meyer Lemon last winter, they turned out to be the happy home of an endless spidermite infestation. I thought I had em cured, and perhaps I did, for a couple of months. The first lot of mites were fairly big bright red ones, the present ones are tiny and white or dark coloured, not so crimson afaict. But I can hardly see them anyway, even with glasses, until they are webbing all over. It's very frustrating. I'm thinking of getting rid of these two little trees, because I can't deal with the high maintenance and risk to other plants, especially peppers, which I like to have in the house. I'm wondering if it is possible to grow container-suited varieties like these from seed, so I could start afresh with completely clean plants. Or is it the case, that they are so susceptible to mites, I will end up with em anyway?

September 2, 2012	#4
meadowyck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Brooksville, FL Posts: 1,001	One of the best ways to help is to give your trees, (provided they aren't too large to pick up easy) is a shower once a month. Citrus love humidity, so by giving them a shower during the winter helps to keep the mites at bay better. If your trees are too large, then I would suggest a weekly fine mist spray up and down the trunk and limbs. Especially if your home is rather dry. It is the dry air that sets the stage for the mites, by keeping the environment moist it keeps the mites at bay to where they can't overrun the tree. Hope this helps. __________________ Jan “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -Theodore Roosevelt

September 1, 2012	#2
gardenpaws_VA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Northern Virginia, USA - zone 7+ Posts: 161	As far as I can tell, citrus large and small are inherently susceptible to spider mites. I get them on my Rangpur lime just about every winter. They can be controlled, however - I use a VERY dilute detergent spray as soon as I see them (which you can also use on the peppers, I think). The other thing which will reduce the mite problem is to keep the air around the plants more humid. Mites don't seem to multiply nearly as well when the humidity is high in the immediate vicinity, so it will probably help to set your plants on a pebble tray and keep the tray watered almost to the top of the pebbles. By the way, unless the citrus you mention are grafted to a dwarf understock, they will not stay dwarf. However, it's possible, by careful and timely pruning, to keep indoor citrus a manageable size. I cut mine back before I move it back indoors for the winter, and then pinch it again when it starts pushing new growth and buds in early winter. I still get enough buds for fragrance and fruit, and that way, it's still (barely) possible to move my 20-yr-old tree in and out.